1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a checking device for a connector, which is used for connecting wiring harnesses in automobiles or the like, and more particularly to a device for checking whether or not terminals are properly installed at the predetermined position in the connector and whether or not the wires connected to the terminals keep right in continuity.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIGS. 10A to 10C are cross-sectional views showing the process of inserting terminals into a connector. In the figures, a plurality of terminal receiving cavities b are formed in a connecter housing a, and cantilever resilient locking pieces c are attached to the terminal receiving cavities b to lock terminals d, which are inserted from the rear portion of the connector. At the insertion of the terminal d, a tip of the terminal d abuts a locking projection c1 of the resilient locking piece c to allow the piece c to bend toward a space e, as illustrated in FIG. 10B. Then, immediately after the locking projection c1 enters a locking opening d1 the resilient locking piece c returns to its original position to lock the terminal d as illustrated in 10C.
Reference symbol f is a connector checking device comprising cylindrical checking terminals, which oppose terminal receiving cavities b of the connector housing a, and pins h which are slidably mounted to the checking terminals g. The pins h are urged by coil springs i and project forwardly. Further, the checking device f is provided with a detection finger j for incomplete insertion of the terminals d.
Under the condition that the connector housing a, which is checked by the connector checking device f, is mounted on the checking device f as illustrated in FIG. 11, the detection finger j proceeds into the space e, and the terminal d, which is completely inserted and locked under the detection finger j, is in press-contact with the pin h, while the pin h moves rearward, so that a continuity detector k determines that the connection of the terminal d to the connector is complete. On the other hand, when the terminal d, which is not locked by the resilient locking piece c, is not in contact with the pins h, the continuity detector k verifies that the connection of the terminal to the connector is incomplete.
Under the condition shown in FIG. 12, an upper terminal d is situated at an incompletely connected position in which the terminal d bends the resilient locking piece c. Therefore, even if a worker tries to engage the connector housing a to the checking device f, the detection finger j abuts an end face of the upper resilient locking piece c covering the space e, which prevents the housing a from being engaged to the checking device f. As a result, the incomplete insertion of the terminal d is verified.
With the construction of the conventional connector checking device described above, when the terminal d is in the incompletely connected state the detection finger j can not proceed into the space e, so that the all terminals can not be checked even though the only one terminal is incompletely inserted.